TWO big junior grand finals took place last weekend, with North Adelaide taking on Glenelg in South Australia, and the return of the NAB League Grand Final in Victoria between Dandenong and Sandringham.

North Adelaide and Glenelg looked like the likely grand finalists from a long way out, with both teams hitting the ground running early in the year. Despite Glenelg missing some key players, the Bays would find a way to get the win in a see-sawing contest that went down to the wire.

Glenelg was well represented in the midfield with state combine invitees Archie Lovelock and Jake Walker very important at stoppages and around the ground, while bottom-age talent Ben Ridgway put in another strong performance. He looks a strong midfield talent for next year’s draft.

Speaking of bottom-age talent, Eli Redman – the younger brother of Bomber Mason – got it done at the opposite end of his older sibling, kicking a game-high three goals, starting with a ripper long range snap. The other one to impress was the Bays’ sole National Combine invite Jakob Ryan, who has been a rock in defence all year with his ball winning and intercept work.

North Adelaide had plenty of talent out there as well, with their National Combine invitees Isaac Keeler and Billy Dowling both showing why they are highly regarded. Keeler mostly rucked and showed plenty of athleticism and skill, and Dowling was a clearance machine, showing great skill and composure.

A surprise packet was Will Francou the father-son prospect for Port Adelaide who had battled with injury during the year. Despite his stats sheet not catching attention from the outside, his run and skill playing as a high half-forward was pivotal in North Adelaide playing the game down to the wire.

Bottom-ager Kane McAullife was another midfielder to impress and despite not having a big day state combine invite Shaun Bennier took a brilliant contested mark when swung forward in the third quarter and kicking a long range goal easy as you like.

It was a decisive win in the end in the NAB League Grand Final, but recruiters would have come away from the game excited with a lot of the better prospects from the game showing why they are so highly rated.

Dandenong didn’t have many winners for the day with Henry Hustwaite, Mitch Szybkowski and Taj Campbell-Farrell all having quiet days by their standards, having all missed the previous week. Some of the better performers for the Stingrays included running half-back Finn Emilie-Brennan and hard running wingman/forward Jaxon Binns.

It would have been a tough choice for best on ground with four players from Sandringham all playing strong games. Pick one contender Will Ashcroft further enhanced his claim with a 39-disposal game, once again racking up the ball as he pleases. Then you had fellow midfielders Olli Hotton and Cam Mackenzie, who both offered very different dynamics to the midfield, with Hotton’s burst from stoppages a real asset, and Mackenzie’s kicking and scoreboard impact was on show.

After a quiet last few weeks by his standards, Harry Sheezel was back to his game winning best, kicking four goals and showing his class, but also his work rate. His best goal came from great pressure before pushing aside his opponent and snapping at goal on the boundary without even looking at the sticks.

There is only one more week of junior football with, aside from in Western Australia, as Vic Country takes on Vic Metro during AFL Grand Final week, before the Under 17s Futures showcase on Saturday.